


Maybe some things are inevitable

by stjarna



Series: Season 6 spec fics [12]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Theories, family fic, funny fluff, ish, s6 spec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 18:17:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: FitzSimmons are expecting their first child when they make a surprising discovery.





	Maybe some things are inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to @dilkirani and @lilsciencequeen for the beta and pre-read.
> 
> Banner by the wonderful @memorizingthedigitsofpi 
> 
> I've had this idea for a long time and am so glad I finally found time to write it.

Jemma’s lips reflexively pulled into a wide smile when the email opened. She turned her head towards the door and called out loudly. “Oh, Fitz, come and look!”

A moment later, Fitz’s head poked through the office door. “What?”

Jemma pointed at the screen. “Agent Davis and his wife sent the birth announcement for their new baby.”

Fitz furrowed his brow as he stepped up to the desk, pulling up his trousers by the belt. “Wait, they’ve had another one? How old is their first little bugger?”

Jemma ticked her head to one side, giving Fitz a reprimanding look. “Oh, Fitz, Owen is almost three. He was born when you were—” She paused.

Even more than two years later, the memories of how they’d been ripped apart by time and death still stung her heart.

Fitz pressed his lips together, bobbing his head. “Right,” he muttered quietly, “—locked up in an off-the-books military prison before floating in space for a few months.”

A sad smile flashed across Jemma’s face, her gaze pretending to wander back to the laptop screen, to find a distraction and keep her tears at bay. She closed her eyes, her smile growing more relaxed when she felt Fitz’s reassuring touch on her back, his hand gently stroking up and down soothingly.

“Poor sod’s got Davis’ nose.”

Jemma opened her eyes in surprise at Fitz’s remark, turning her head back to face her husband, unable to stop a laugh from escaping. “First of all, not true,” she scolded him, trying to compose herself. “And second of all, I always thought Davis had a rather handsome nose, quite Romanesque.”

Fitz snorted. “Handsome nose?”

Jemma rolled her eyes before looking back at the screen, her lips pulling wide as she gently stroked up and down her slightly protruding stomach. “Just think, Fitz, in a few months we will be the ones to send out our birth announcement.” She scrunched her nose, looking at the digital card with the newborn baby photo. “It’s a rather lovely design, don’t you think?”

“Hmm,” Fitz rested his hand on the back of Jemma’s chair, leaning closer to read the birth announcement. “‘We’re overjoyed to announce the birth of our son, Aiden Michael Davis. 22 inches. 9 pounds 14 ounces.’ — Bloody hell, poor Mindy.”

Jemma chuckled. “Well, Davis isn’t exactly small in stature. Look, though,” she pointed at the screen, “—what a lovely valediction.”

Fitz squinted to be able to read better. “‘We can’t wait for you to meet him. Mommy Mindy, Daddy Zachary, and big brother Owen, with proud grandparents Molly and Jonathan Davis and Patricia and Jeremy Sh—“ he paused a moment before finishing the name “—aw. What the hell??”

Jemma looked at Fitz, confused by his unexpected outburst. She furrowed her brow. “What?”

Fitz stared back at her with wide-open eyes, gesturing at the laptop screen. “Are you not seeing what I’m seeing?” he exclaimed, in utter disbelief.

Jemma looked back at the screen. “See what? The valediction? What’s wrong with the—?”

“Patricia and Jeremy Shaw,” Fitz squeaked in the high-pitched tone he reserved for moments of true panic.

“Yes, Mindy’s parents. So?” Jemma asked, squinting at the text of the birth announcement, trying to decipher what had Fitz so upset.

“And Davis’ first kid’s name is—” Fitz growled through gritted teeth.

“Owen,” Jemma barked back at her husband, getting slightly annoyed at his reaction. Suddenly her words sunk in, and her jaw slackened at the unexpected realization. “Oh,” she exhaled, her eyes zeroing in on the words in front of her.

Fitz’s hands began to gesture widely back and forth between the laptop and Jemma’s stomach. “Davis’ son—our daughter—our daughter married Davis’ son and they had a Deke!” He pointed at the hallway as if their grandson was about to make his entrance at the cue.

“Hey,” Jemma looked scoldingly at Fitz, “you love Deke, and don’t you dare deny that.”

“That’s not the point,” Fitz countered, widening his eyes even more. “The point is that our daughter married Davis’ son— _Davis’_!”

“First of all, this could be entirely a coincidence,” Jemma began to argue, but Fitz interrupted her, throwing one hand in the air.

“Oh, please,” he began counting off the evidence on his fingers. “You said Davis brought Mindy to the Lighthouse when he found out about the whole ‘The world is about to be destroyed’ scenario, so he probably did exactly that in previous loops. Which means Mindy and Owen would have been there, safe and sound, when the world was destroyed. You said Deke had mentioned that all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took on new identities after Earth’s destruction. And what better name to choose than your wife’s maiden name, eh? Deke said his dad was three years older than his mum, and—and, come to think of it, Deke has a bit of a ‘Romanesque’ nose, no?” He formed airquotes, before gesturing at his forehead. “And his strong brow? Just like Davis!”

“You have a strong brow, too,” Jemma replied in annoyance.

Fitz pressed his fingertips together, speaking through clenched teeth. “Did you hear the rest of my argument?”

Jemma exhaled sharply. “Alright, I’ll admit there is good evidence that maybe our daughter married Davis’ son, but I don’t see why that should be a reason to be upset. Davis has saved your life on multiple occasions.”

“Yes, which he likes to remind me of Every. Single. Time we meet.” Fitz placed his hands on his hips. “I mean I’m grateful and all, but there’s no need to rub it under my nose at every possible occasion.” He shrugged. “I mean my tech saved his life more than once, too.”

Jemma glared at Fitz in silence, who slumped his shoulders. “Fine, okay, one time my tech almost killed him, but that doesn’t mean—”

“Leopold James Fitz,” Jemma exclaimed, “why on Earth the two of you insist on playing this ridiculous game of wanting to one-up the other is beyond me. The way you’re reacting makes me think that our daughter’s relationship with Davis’ son may have started out quite like Romeo and Juliet. Two feuding fathers standing in the way of their children’s happiness. Is that really what you want?”

Fitz fell silent, a slight pout lingering on his lips. “No,” he muttered under his breath.

Jemma bobbed her head. “Good. Plus—” she gestured at the laptop screen, “since we broke the loop, our children’s lives have been put on entirely different trajectories. Davis is now living in D.C., while we will be raising our daughter in Scotland, who—may I add—may not even be the same child that would have become Deke’s mother had we not broken the loop, due to the fact that _our_ lives have been put on different trajectories as well.”

Fitz scoffed, crossing his arms contentedly in front of his chest. “Suppose you’re right. Not very likely they’ll get married now that they’re not forced to live together in an underground bunker with what’s left of humanity.”

“But even if they did—?” Jemma looked sternly at her husband, dragging out the last word to give Fitz a chance to finish the sentence.

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “—I would not get in the way of their happiness.”

“Excellent.”

* * *

* * *

 

“Hey, monkey.” Fitz’s face lit up when his daughter appeared on the laptop screen.

Happy wrinkles formed in the corners of Peggy’s eyes as her lips pulled from ear to ear at the sight of her parents. “Hi Mum, hi Da.” She frowned slightly. “Where is my annoying little brother?”

Jemma chuckled quietly. “Deke took him camping for the weekend.”

Peggy gasped in pretend outrage. “So I’m missing out on both of them?”

Fitz scoffed. “Guess your ol’ Mum and Da will have to do.”

Peggy pursed her lips, yet unable to hide a grin. “Guess so.”

“So, how’s the Academy?” Jemma asked.

“It’s going well. They paired me up with Louisa Winfred in chem lab. Might as well have given us the top mark right then and there.” One corner of Peggy’s mouth quirked up, and the sly smirk combined with her soft curls and gentle Scottish brogue reminded Jemma of the many ways Peggy resembled her father.

“What about the other classes? Professor Vaughn’s still putting you to sleep?” Fitz chimed in.

“Oh, dear god, yes.” Peggy rolled her eyes, reminding Jemma that their daughter had inherited some of her own mannerisms as well.

“Can’t believe he’s still teaching.” Fitz shook his head, turning his head in Jemma’s direction. “He seemed ancient when we were at the Academy.”

Jemma nodded in agreement. “Very true. You have our permission to fall asleep in his class whenever you like.”

Peggy laughed out loud. “Good to know. Oh—” She raised her index finger, as she seemingly recalled something she’d forgotten. “Daisy was here the other day.”

“Oh,” Jemma’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “The Director checking up on the many brilliant young minds at the Academy? The future of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Peggy chuckled. “Actually, Piper was giving some presentation to the cadets in Operations, and Daisy tagged along. We had dinner. She said to say Hi and to count her and Piper in for the holidays this year.”

A smile spread across Jemma’s face. “Oh, excellent. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen them.”

“Yeah, um, speaking of the holidays—” Peggy scratched the side of her neck, seemingly flustered all of a sudden.

“Don’t tell us you’re not coming,” Fitz interjected, his voice laced with disappointed urgency.

A quiet laugh escaped Peggy, as she tilted her head to one side. “Oh no, Da, of course I’m coming.”

“Good,” Fitz sighed in relief.

“It’s just that I was wondering if I could bring someone,” Peggy continued, raising both hands. “I mean not for Christmas itself, just maybe a couple of days later.”

Jemma’s eyes widened, as she glanced briefly at Fitz before looking back at their daughter. “Oh. Someone you’d like us to meet? Well, that sounds serious.”

Peggy’s gaze wandered to her lap, her cheeks reddening with a blush. “Yes, well,” she shrugged, “we’ve been seeing each other for a few months now, actually, but I wanted to see how things were going first before telling you, since Da has a tendency to—” She scrunched her nose, staring teasingly at her father.

Fitz’s mouth gaped ajar. “I’m not that bad,” he exclaimed, raising his index finger.

“Oh, Fitz,” Jemma gave her husband a knowing look. “What about Jeremy?”

Fitz lifted his index finger a little higher, his eyes darting back and forth between his wife and daughter. “Was a complete wanker!”

Both Jemma and Peggy began laughing, causing Fitz to fan his arms out in a _What?_ kind of gesture.

“So,” Jemma focussed back on Peggy. “Considering that you’re braving telling us—or rather your father—”

“Hey,” Fitz tried to protest, which Jemma ignored.

“—I assume things are going rather well with—”

“Yes,” Peggy bobbed her head in excited agreement, “yes, things are going really well, and I’d love for you to meet him.”

“Is he a fellow cadet?” Jemma asked curiously.

Peggy’s eyes widened. “Yes, he’s in his final year. Hoping to be assigned to Sci-Ops.” She gestured at the screen palm-up. “He’s an engineer actually, so I was hoping that might soften the blow for you a little bit, Da.”

“An engineer?” Fitz pursed his lips. “Is he any good?”

Peggy laughed, before putting on an overly serious expression. “Well, not as good as you, obviously, but he is graduating top 3% of his class.”

Fitz ticked his head to one side, raising his eyebrows. “‘Suppose that’ll do.”

Jemma chuckled, placing her hand on Fitz’s forearm, before looking back at Peggy. “Well, he’s more than welcome to visit. We’re excited to meet him, aren’t we, Fitz?” She gave Fitz’s arm a little squeeze, glancing expectantly at him sideways.

Fitz pressed his lips into a thin line, but his eyes remained soft. “Yes, we are.”

A wide smile of relief spread across Peggy’s face. “Excellent. Thank you.” Once again, she gestured at the screen. “You know, his Dad was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, too. Actually left the organization around the same time as you two, and—” She raised her index finger in the air importantly. “—I did a little bit of digging in the archives, and you must know him, because he’s listed on the space rescue team for Da.”

A surprised “Oh,” escaped Jemma like a fleeting exhale. She looked at Fitz, whose lips were parted and who seemed to be holding his breath in shock.

Slowly his eyebrows lifted and his mouth began rounding. “Wha—” He cleared his throat. “What’s his name?” Fitz croaked, trying not to let his panic show.

“Davis,” Peggy replied, smiling widely, her fingers nervously playing with each other. “Owen Davis is my—” She exhaled, her lips pulling even further apart, “—my boyfriend, and Zachary is his dad.”

Jemma heard a suppressed choking sound next to her. She briefly glanced at Fitz to ensure he was still breathing, reaching over to give his arm a reassuring squeeze, before looking back at their daughter. “Of course, Agent Davis. We remember him quite well. Very good man, isn’t he, Fitz?”

Fitz cleared his throat, yet his voice came out more high-pitched than usual. “Yes, very good man.” He forced an awkward smile. “Saved my life more than once, actually.”

“Oh, good,” Peggy dropped her shoulders in apparent relief. “I really think you’ll like Owen. Da, you can talk so much shop with him.”

One corner of Fitz’s mouth ticked up. “I’m sure we’ll like him, Monkey. As long as he makes you happy.”

Peggy’s face lit up. “He does, Da, he really does.”

“Good,” Fitz replied quietly, and Jemma noticed how his eyes looked at his daughter with loving softness.

“Now, um,” Peggy stammered, looking at her watch. “I’m really sorry to be cutting this short, but Louisa and I reserved some time at the lab to work on our chemistry assignment, and I don’t want to be late.”

“Oh, of course, Peggy,” Jemma said. “Don’t worry. You go and be studious.”

Peggy chuckled. “It was good to see you two. I miss you.”

“We miss you, too, Monkey,” Fitz replied, softly.

“And tell Liam and Deke hi from me, will ya?”

Jemma smiled widely. “Of course. And we’ll talk soon again, yes?”

“Absolutely!” Peggy waved her fingers in the air. “Bye, Mum. Bye, Da.”

“Bye, Monkey,” Fitz and Jemma said in unison before the video call ended.

Jemma glanced at Fitz, who continued to stare at the laptop screen, his lips slightly parted.

“Fitz?” she eventually asked, carefully.

Fitz’s head slowly turned in her direction. He drew in a slow breath before exhaling sharply. “Well, I suppose, maybe some things are inevitable.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you @blancafic for the reminder: If you want more Davis and Fitz bickering and trying to one-up each other, check out ["He started it"](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/BSquadfics/works/15341577)


End file.
